Bisoprolol withdrawal

Hi Maxine

Each withdrawal drop you take for bisoprolol with make your heart rate and blood pressure go up until your body is able stabilize. When you have completely stopped biso your blood pressure and heart rate will take three to four weeks to even out and you may get alot of other peculiar symptoms as well. On stopping my biso I had only been on the full dose for 3 months then 8 months withdrawing my heart rate was often between 120 and 150 with the slightest movement and I did get very breathless. I used utube mediation and deep breathing to bring it to between 75 and 100. Breathing in for 6 seconds holding for 4 seconds and breathing out for 7 seconds for at least 5 minutes and anything up to 15 minutes. I also used to walk between 1 and 2 miles a day starting slowly and gradually increasing my pace. I am now 10 months since my last biso but still find my heart ate is more than prior to taking biso but the doctor is quite happy with it. Unfortunately the more you think and worry about it the quicker your heart will beat.

Pleased dont be scared you will get through your withdrawal and feel so much better but it is not easy. Women seem to have more severe withdrawal symptoms than men do.

If you are worried and I can help in any way please let me know.

wow thanks so much for getting back to me.

i have only been on them for 6 months

today i was laying in bed and my heart rate was 130 for an hour and kept creeping up.

i find if i do slow breathing my heart rate reduces but it immediately goes back to what it was before i started the breathing 😦

i am so scared ill either drop dead kr develop heart failure. i freaked out and i took another Bisoprolol which reduced my heart rate but i feel like ive failed 😦

i dont know what to do, i don't think i can take it for weeks/ months i feel my mental health is too weak but i absolutely hate the idea of taking it.

since February this year i have been doing intense cardio to reduce my heart rate and i feel like it was all for nothing 😦

again, thanks for responding. xxxx

Have you completely withdrawn from biso or are you still reducing.? The problem being is also that if you have stopped to quickly you will have alot of anxiety and maybe panic attacks. Doctors say it reduces and calms you and I dont know whether you have read any of my previous entries but it actually made me have anxiety, sleep depravation and suicide thoughts. This was not me at all and prior to going on biso I was a very calm and not at all anxious. The doctor said I was depressed and wanted me to go on anti depressants but I didnt take them as I knew it was biso that was causing the problem.

If you have been doing intense cardio without any problems then you are not going to have a heart attack or die as your heart is strong.

I have been left with 12000 plus pvcs daily and it has taken me many months to realise that my heart is not suddenly going to stop although some days they really irritate and bother me.

Can I ask why the doctor put you on biso to start with?

hello nannyknitt.

i can't see your last post, I've been checking every hour to see if the moderators have accepted it. how long does it usually take? xx

I have never had a reply sent to the moderator before so I dont really know

i was reducing and then completely stopped, but I had to start taking a lower (1.25mg) dose again i was panicking and my heart rate was very high yesterday, it's been fine since - mostly below 100.

so now im taking a small dose....sigh!

i was put on them because my resting heart rate was 101 and 120/130 when i was doing house work.

i have never felt so anxious in my life when i did stop, honestly its not a positive drug at all, in fact its hell!!

i wish i never started, have you managed to get off it completely now? bless you 🙏🙏🙏

also, I'm sorry i forgot to mention i cannot exercise whilst im weaning off as my heart rate goes too high and it really scares me. i cannot atop crying 😦 xx

Yes it is a nightmare drug and doctors and consultants dont tell you what side effects you can get and by the time you realise they cause such dramatic side effects it takes a long time to wean off safely.

It took me 8 months to wean off them and it was an absolute nightmare the anxiety was dreadful. The doctors dont tell you that biso has a long half life so if you are on 1.25mgs after 8 days there is 2,5mgs actually in your body and as it goes through the blood brain barrier it takes a lot longer for it to come completely out of your system. I was on,y dropping by 0.05mgs every six days and having to sandpaper such a tiny amount off the tablet each time. Sometimes if I was really feeling bad I wouls stay on the same dose for 8 or 9 days. Unfortunately doctors do not realise just how bad withdrawal can be.

I really hope you can manage to come off it because you will feel much better. If your heart rate is still high there are other beta blockers which the doctor can try that dont have as many side effects or as severe withdrawal symptoms as they do not go through the blood brain barrier.

Dont hesitate to contact me if you just want to talk or feel anxious. I really do know what you are going through, biso gave me a year of debilitating side and withdrawal effects.

im sorry to be asking so many questions. what was your heart rate like whilst you were weaning off them? mine was incredibly high which is why i had to take another tablet. It was Saturday so the GP were closed, i phoned the pharmacy and they scared me 😦 they said if my heart is fast for a while, i can get heart failure....im on 26, they said you can get it at any age.

my heart rate was getting higher and higher which was of course making me more and more anxious. I dont wanna have to go to the hospital because they will do an ECG, see it's fine, just sinus tachycardia and tell me to take the beta blockers again....which i dont want to do.

i find myself thinking about my heart ALL day, even when i try to distract myself it doesn't help at all.

can i die from the withdrawals? im so so so scared 😦

my partner gets a bit annoyed with me too which doesnt help.

My heart rate did go to 120 to 125 each time I reduced biso and is still higher than it used to be before taking the biso. If your heart is running continually higher for a long time you can have what they call atrial fibrillation and it is always best to go to the hospital to get it checked out as there are alternative medications they could give you.

I have an ILR fitted in my chest which is like a continual ecg and records my heart rate and palpitations and it has gone up to 170 beats a minute but because I have always been in sinus rhythm they are not concerned but it is always best to get checked out.

I also drink pukka tulsi tea every day which also helps to calm me down.

I am sure it is withdrawal anxiety that you are feeling because that is exactly how I felt and I was always going over and over it with my hubby who used to get sick of hearing me go on about it.If you google bisoprolol nightmare withdrawal you will be able to read how many other people have gone through the same experience and how they have coped with it. There is one person called Bob who has gone into great detail of his experience and I have read it many many times and it gave me great reassurance that I would eventually get back to normal.

Please if you are concerned about your heartbeat go to you GP or A&E just to be checked out and also take a list of questions that you may have to be answered. There are other alternatives to biso that you could take. Many people are changed from them because of the severe side effects.

i have had many ecgs done over the last 8 years and my rhythm has always been perfect, just a fast pulse. i appreciate all your help and advice! what is your resting heart rate like now? i am going to read the one from bob, and hopefully gain some more reassurance.

obviously everyone if different, do you wake up with palpitations? as soon as i open my eyes in the morning they begin, before beta blockers i always woke up with a fast heart but could never feel it trying to leave my chest!

im just scared im going to have a heart attack, my boyfriend says he won't let anything happen to me though.

is there a way we can PM? i couldn't figure it out as im quite new to this site.

maxine xx

I am taking Magnesium Citrate 200mgs Taurine 500mgs 3 times a day and L Arginine 500mgs at lunch time. I spoke with my consultant and he says that is fine. They are all natural products that your body makes. I have found that they calm my palpitations tremendously and also the magnesium and taurine gives me a good nights sleep. If i get up to the loo in the night I feel the palpitations straight away and especially during the daytime when I am relaxing. If I am walking about or busy in the house I dont feel so many of them.

My resting hear beat when I have been sat or laid in bed for a while is between 93 and 98. When I first stopped biso resting heart rate was around the 115 mark. Prior to starting biso resting heart rate was in the mid 70's.

i hope and pray things get better for us ❤️🙏 do you mind me asking how old you are? i absolutely hate this feeling. i cannot wait to feel normal again. its scary when you're 26 and you think everyday is your last 😦 xx

Yes I hope we both feel better very soon.

I am 69 so old enough to be you grandmother.

I worked as a nurse prior to getting married and after having my children went into a doctors practice where I did a little nursing but also worked on prescriptions and medication and all aspects of a GP surgery for 37 years so that is where I found out alot about medication their side effects and what conditions they are used for.

Another good site for you to look at and join if you want is Heath Unlocked. There are alot of people on their who have also been on bisoprolol and also suffer erratic hearts and palpitations. It is sad buy comforting to know their are other people both young and old who are also suffering like us.

I will always be here if you want to talk.

bless you nannyknit. I can't sleep at the moment, I'm getting a couple of hours a night, it's awful, I'm lying in bed sweating and shaking. i feel like this anxiety and heart rate will take my life soon. i really am that scared and fed up living this way.

I'm here if you need to talk too xx

Hi, been advised by GP to cut my 3/4 pill in half and take am and pm i think this has led to faster build up in body due to 1/2 life. he then said just take once every 24 hour. ive done this for 2 days now and withdrawals started. now realise this dose is too low, 1/2 drop( 0.03 mg ) is it too late to up it a bit for a while to soften symptoms? please reply asap, really scared

Susan, what withdrawals are you experiencing? it's awful isn't it 😦 I'm going through it too, here if you need to talk.

so sorry for previous abrupt post! panic had set in! hope you are well, nice to learn a bit about you from your posts to Maxine x

Unfortunately every time you drop you are going to get quite bad withdrawal symptoms for a few days. Each drop I had dreadful symptoms for about 4 days then they eased so I continued on the same drop for 2 or 3 days and then started the process all over again. It is terrible and you feel like you want to give up but dont because it will get better. You will have short times throughout the day when you feel a little better but then you will feel terrible again unfortunately that is the anxiety combined with the withdrawal. The problem being is because biso has that long half life after just 10 days of taking your original dose your body has retained double the amount you started on. If you keep going back up a dose your body is just going to get used to it again and unfortunately it will take you even longer to get to the end of withdrawal.

Have you tried 3 days usual strength 1 day dropped strength and 3 days normal strength then the following week having 2 days of dropped dose and 5 days of normal dose spread evenly over the week and so on until you get to 7 days of your dropped dose then start again with a further drop the following week. It may take longer but you may find the withdrawal not so severe.

Please see you GP or call at the pharmacy to see if they can give you anything to help you sleep. I suffered with sleep depravation and anxiety and had to call the crisis team who said alot of my anxiety was do to lack of sleep. My GP gave me a small dose of diazepam (2mg) which although I did not like taking did help my anxiety and help me get a few hours sleep. I have now learnt to control it to some extent and if I feel myself getting anxious I go for a walk which helps.

no i havent tried that. i want to come off but think GP is doing it too fast, 1/2 (0.03) is too big a drop dont you think? as its only been 2 days i hoped i could up it a bit but still withdraw

i might try and get some nytol. i need something! will keep trying to get better its dreadful. hopefully this time next year (if my heart lasts that long) i can look back and think "i did it!" also hoping with exercise and not on Bisoprolol my heart rate will naturally come down. we'll ❤️ see.

i start CBT tomorrow so hopefully that helps me too xx

0.03 is a very tiny drop, that is what I was dropping at each time or a little more. It will be 4 or 5 days before you have a reasonable day then stay there a couple of days and reduce again. Unfortunately you are going to feel terrible until you are able to stop and will even then have a few symptoms for a couple of weeks. Do you know what strength you are at now. The problem is that the medication in the tablet is not evenly distributed so some days you will be getting a little more and others a little less active medication.

Have you had an electrocardiogram or stress test to check if your heart is structually normal if so it will be ok to beat fast. I unfortunately had to pay privately for these as the waiting list was over a year but it did give me some peace of mind.

Yes I take Nytol or piriton to help me sleep. I found that piriton works just as well and is fat cheaper. Try not to take them 2 or 3 nights in a row as they become less effective.

Hope you get on ok at your CBT appointment.

i have had a scan done on my heart, ultra sound i believe? what pregnant women have... they said structurally my heart is reassuring...so i guess that's good? haven't had a stress test done.

how are you coping without on the lower dose at the moment? how is your heart rate doing? have the drs said anything about your heart rate being high and that's bad? I'm just so scared. thank you for everything though. xx

i have had many ecgs and a 24 hour ecg which always just shows sinus tachycardia. my last 24 hour ecg was in February and i was on 1.25mg of Bisoprolol then and my average heart rate was 101, low is 80 and a high of 160.

i hope when i come off the beta blockers for good i can improve my heart rate even more. A LOT of people have said cardio reduces resting heart rate but it hasn't changed anything for me. 😭🤷🙏

hi, thanks so much for getting back to me. i have been taking 0.060 ( on my scales, pill weighs 0.080) for the last 12 weeks. cardiologist said to cut this in half and take 0.030 in the morning and the some in the evening. trouble is after a week or so of this i was starting to feel much worse. i thought it was because putting 2 doses into your body , made the build up worse as not enough time had elapsed. G P wasnt sure but said it was possible. so told me to take just 0.030 once a day. i have done this for 2 days and felt better yesterday but today although feel ok, heart rate us highish (100) i know from pst experience it takes a few days for the effects of dropping doses to be felt so i know the big one is to come so very worried as its halving the dose which seems a bit much to me and now im not sure what to do, its such a mess, should never have split the dose, dont know what was meant to be achieved by it

is your heart rate 100ish on rest? how come youre on the beta blockers in the first place? was it for tachycardia?

Hi, its 100 at rest just now but its 60 when the bidoprolol kicks in. i was put on it originally for an arrthmia called Left bundle branch block. ive been on it for 18 months now with hardly any problems until April when i went to my GP cos i was experiencing some feels of weakness , suspected it was due to the bisoprolol. he suggested i cut the dose down and thats when the trouble started. within 8 days i was back on the higher dose because of severe withdrawal symptoms, all of which youve experienced too. it was such a shock to my GP as well as me. unfortunately i have not stabilised and im told the only thing i can do is come off them which i am now trying to do but GP says one thing, cardiologist says no significant harm will come to me if i come off but im not so sure..

my chest hurts so much when my heart beats fast does yours?

Do you know how much in milligrams you are taking at the moment. I dont think anything will happen to you by reducing as you are but unfortunately you will feel terrible every drop you take. If you feel like staying on a dose a few days longer before you drop again then that is ok . Bisoprolol gave me a year of hell and is still causing me problems with the multiple PVCs I have each day but at least I feel otherwise normal with very little anxiety. Doctors and Consultants dont know the full side effects people have on them and they certainly dont know the severe withdrawal people have. Some people are very luck and have no side effects either taking them or coming off them. Normally consultants tell you wean off over only a couple of weeks and I know if you are going for an ablation or other cardiac procedure you just stop 3 days prior to the procedure.

My heart rate at rest is still 15 beats over what I was prior to biso and I have now been off them 11 months.

An electrocardiogram is about a 45 minute procedure which you have to keep turning over and holding your breath while the consultant is taking 3d pictures of how the 4 valves in your heart are working. When I had mine done although my heart was structually normal they told me I had electrical fault in my lef5 atrium and right ventricle which was causing my palpitation but would not harm me unless they increased which since being on biso they have so have to have further test in october.

i can so relate to how you feel, 12 weeks ago i was outgoing, confident, worked 2 jobs, now im stuck at home, cant work or drive because my legs are so weak, it took weeks to see a cardiologist who recommended splitting the bisoprolol between am and pm to see uf i stabilised, that hasnt worked so now i have to wean off . this has been complicated by having to go back to one dose. i feel so ill and scared and the wirst is yet to come, medics think coming off is easy and no one can relate to how i feel except on here. they just say im anxious, well i never was until 12 weeks ago

my chest feels heavy yes. my heart rate goes higher than yours though. i just had to do some vacuuming and it was 123BPM. i hate it 😦

yeah that's basically what i had and my cardiologist said the results were reassuring. that's all he said, he didn't give any actual other information 😦 idk will see how i go. going to take the lower dose for a month and then reduce it again. I'm just scared my resting heart rate won't ever settle and it'll always be above 100. i don't want to die from this and leave my boyfriend behind

here is today's so far. my HR hasn't gone below 77. my watch sometimes glitches and it says my HR is 40 when it's like 100. this is whilst I'm still on a small dose of beta blockers. so i imagine im going to die when i do fully stop! hate hate hate it 😦

i an taking 0 .030 mg but i think i remember you had different pills, my whole pill weighs 0.080. i was on 0.060 So i shall feel the effects of this 1/2 drop very soon

Yes it is quite a big drop but if you can tolerate it you will be off it sooner. You could go a little less next time and drop to 0.020 and then down to 0.010 and the withdrawal shouldnt be so bad. If you cannot tolerate 0.030 then you could increase it to 0.040 and that should help a bit.

I have received a couple of your replies but 2 are still with the moderator.

There are plenty of other medications that can decrease your heart without the side effects. (atenolol or propranolol etc ) Perhaps you could ask your GP or consultant if you could try an alternative to bring your heart rate down. Is your blood pressure normal?

my blood pressure is absolutely fine. i actually just spoke to my GP and she wants me to stay on Bisoprolol for another 6 months until i have sorted out my anxiety. 😦 do some people stay on them forever? when i stopped taking them last week my heart rate was HIGH all day. if that something that would eventually settle? i don't see the light at the end of the tunnel anymore.

Alot of people stay on them forever. We are the unlucky ones some people take them with no side effects and come off them with no withdrawals. I think females seem to have more problems than the males do. I have a friend who was on 10mgs a day and was fine and he decided he didnt want to continue on them after 6 months and just stopped no withdrawal at all but it can be dangerous if you do suddenly stop.

I really hope that you soon stabilise on them and start to feel much better and less anxious and your pulse rate come down.

Susan

im so sorry for your suffering! I know how painful and scary this is. ive been suffering for nearky s year now trying to get off Atenolol.

The WD has been truly horrendous!

Message me and maybe we can encourage each other?

Do you still have withdrawal symptoms?